Hope

A Second Touch

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 1 Kings 19:7-8 NIV

“He Touched Me” was written in 1963 by Bill Gaither and became one of the best loved and most recorded Christian songs of the twentieth century. It became so popular that Elvis Presly chose it as the title song of an album for which he won the Grammy award in 1972. Though this generation of young people may have never heard the song, those who love Jesus, still long for God’s touch. But there are times in life, when a single touch, even from God is not enough. Like Elijah, we still believe God, but we have given up on ourselves. “Surely God has someone better than us for the job.” we say to ourselves. Are you so tired of how things have been going that today, you simply want to lie down and give up? The good news this morning is that even if we have given up: God has not! He has not written us off and is not looking for someone else to replace us. God sent His angel a second time for Elijah, and though He may not use an angel, God has a fresh word for you and me this morning, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” God is offering us not only a second touch, but also a new direction and new strength for our journey, which will lead us all the way to Him!

Feeling Lost?

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Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Psalms 25:4 NKJV

Some days I feel lost, and hemmed in like the children of Israel at the Red Sea. But when I don’t know which way to go in life, then with David I can cry, “Show me your ways O Lord. Teach me Your paths!” Psalm 25:4 NKJV And just as He promises, God listens and directs our path.

When things seem dark and confusing, John tells us that, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 NLT And God lights up the dark places and comforts our souls, like a child who crawls into bed with mom and dad on a scary night.

And in those moments when we feel like failures and taking the next step seems impossible, Paul shares what Jesus told him, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV God doesn’t only use strong, smart and perfect people. He loves most to work with small, weak and broken people just like us so that He can show us His power, His love and His mercy. Then, He sends us to others to share that knowing and trusting in Him is the only real hope that anyone can have and that no matter what we face that He is enough!

Progress in High Places

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments 
God the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19 ESV

I haven’t been posting much because we have been traveling the country, visiting our family over the last two weeks. Seeing our sons, our grandchildren and in-laws has been a wonderful though exhausting experience. When I stopped into Walmart to get the oil changed yesterday, I learned that we had logged 4,300 miles, but it has been worth it to see our granddaughter at ballet practice, our grandson holding a baby goat and our boys who are now grown men! In spending a birthday with one of our older grandsons, he chose among the activities of his special day, to watch his cousin’s speech class presentation day. As the teacher opened the session, she began with a quote that really stuck with me. “Some people say that practice makes perfect. But practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes progress!”

How often in our Christian walk do we beat ourselves up, or stress out over mistakes and feel like quitting, because we have not attained that “Perfect” status that we hoped for? That was certainly the situation which the prophet Habakkuk faced in today’s verse. He had done his best praying, preaching and setting a good example for the people that God had called him to serve. Yet most folks ignored his advice and had fallen deeply into the sins of idol worship and sexual immorality. The armies of the Babylonian empire were now destroying his nation, burning the temple and putting an end to the kingdom that God had once given to King David. Things couldn’t have looked worse. Habakkuk saw that no matter how hard he tried or how persuasively he preached, that his version of success was not to be, and yet God gave him hope. In his darkest moments, Habakkuk discovered that God was still his strength and God was still in charge of the spiritual progress that he was going to make. No matter the cliffs of impossible situations, hopeless battles or dark days ahead, God would give him feet as sure footed as a wild deer. God showed him that even in those places he could walk and not fall. God is also our hope, our refuge and our strength in the bleak circumstances that sometimes surround us, our families and our nation. We can have hope because our God doesn’t demand our perfect response to terrible circumstances or perplexing people. Instead, He takes weaklings like you and me and gives us strength. He makes us as sure-footed and graceful as a deer so that we can make progress day by day as we walk with Him up onto the highest places of all!